Essendon have ruled out skipper Matthew Lloyd and midfielder Jason Winderlich for this Saturday nights AFL Round 19 clash against the Brisbane Lions this week, but are optimistic of regaining Alwyn Davey and Mark McVeigh.

“Lloyd’s come along quite well, but I would have thought this week would be close to out of the question, considering we’re [playing] on Saturday night,” Bomber coach Matthew Knights said on Tuesday.

“Davey and McVeigh will be up for selection and we’ll have a look at them this afternoon. Both those boys are right in the mix to come in – I would have thought Alwyn would be a certainty – but we’ll have to see how Mark trains and then have a look at that this afternoon.”